Julian started on violin at age 3. He played trumpet and saxophone for a few years each, but at age 9 he developed a stronger interest in the oboe and studied it through high school, achieving his Associate of Music in 1995. Around 1992, Julian started to play electric and acoustic guitar. He was self-taught until he got a scholarship to do his Bachelor of Music at the University of NSW, and studied with Damien Robison as part of the university program (1997-99). After achieving his BMus, he also had some lessons with Jeremy Sawkins (from Wanderlust).

In early 1998, Julian co-founded Monsieur Camembert, a band taking a modern approach to gypsy, klezmer and jazz styles. Their 2001 album 'Live On Stage' received an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) Award for Best World Music Album. Julian also initiated a project of his own called Germ Theory, attempting to incorporate his wide musical interests, from free improvisation to intricate composition and arrangement. He also performs, composes and arranges with such groups as The Tango Saloon, Darth Vegas, The Fantastic Terrific Munkle, Gauche and Gl;tch Jukebox.